Lions place T.J. Lang on injured reserve, ending guard's season

Allen Park -- The Detroit Lions have placed guard T.J. Lang on injured reserve, ending the guard's season and potentially his time with the franchise. 

Lang, 31, signed a three-year deal with the Lions last offseason, and despite earning Pro Bowl honors in 2017, has dealt with a steady string of injury issues.

After sitting out much of his first training camp with the team while recovering from offseason hip surgery, Lang missed time during the season with foot and back injuries. He also suffered a concussion. 

Another concussion, his sixth documented during his professional career, cost him one game this season. He also missed a game due to a back injury and has most recently has been sidelined by a neck issue. 

Lang contract with Detroit carries an $11.7 million cap hit next season. That includes roughly $2.7 million in dead money, representing a potential $9 million in savings if the team opts to part ways with the veteran after the season. 

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Kenny Wiggins will likely continue to start in place of Lang, while Joe Dahl has moved into the top reserve role. 

In addition to placing Lang on IR, the team announced cornerback Mike Ford has been promoted to the 53-man roster from the practice squad. 

One of the more athletic cornerbacks to enter the NFL this season, the 6-foot, 194-pound Ford ran a 4.47-second 40-yard dash with exceptional results in the vertical and broad jumps, as well as the 3-cone drill.

A high school running back, he made the switch to defense as a redshirt freshman in 2014. He recorded 32 tackles and 14 pass breakups as a senior at Southeast Missouri. 

The Lions still have one open roster spot after waiving cornerback Lenzy Pipkins on Monday.